1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to the fields of Internet and telephonic communication and, more particularly, to a public telecommunications network-based method and apparatus for initiating and completing a telephone call, especially a voice telephony call, via the Internet. In this manner, a user may communicate with an agent by voice about information, products and services offered via the Internet without the voice telephony call""s having to originate from customer premises equipment.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
The popularity of the international World Wide Web is increasing at an extraordinary rate. The World Wide Web, also referred to as the Internet, provides an alternative means of communication between users. The users may be private individuals or entities offering information, products and services. Presently, a user is typically equipped with a personal computer or intelligent telephone and a data modem and the user may be coupled directly to the Internet via a public telecommunications network, local area network (LAN) or otherwise. By, for example, dialing a predetermined telephone number access, a user presently connects to the Internet via a server which communicates with other servers by transmitting and receiving variable length packets of data in an established Internet Protocol (IP) format. The data modem typically has a bandwidth limited to voiceband frequencies at present but, with the advent of so-called cable modems for providing services via hybrid coaxial cable/optical fiber facilities, the access bandwidth will be considerably increased to many times voice bandwidth. Wider bandwidth facilities also may emerge for delivery of services via satellite or other radio frequency path. Between servers, the bandwidth is shared and may be at very wide bandwidth or narrow bandwidth, depending on the shared availability of facilities. Between servers, large data files of, for example, high resolution images may be passed at high rates of speed, while the user who is a private individual and is limited to voice telephony bandwidth presently must await a slower transmission from the server to the home. Moreover, if the user wishes to converse with a live individual, the user may not be able to do so. Consequently, the provision of products, services and information over the Internet can be slow and inefficient.
Users who desire access to on-line accessible catalogs, travel, data files and the like presently link via the Internet to host servers which provide so-called Web pages providing instructions on how to utilize various offered information, products and services. Once connected to such services, for example, it is possible to determine that a bargain air fare is available from one city to another at a certain time on a certain date. But rather than having to reenter alternative times and dates and the like looking for a response from the Internet connected air carrier, it may become useful and desirable for a user, often referred to as a web surfer, to speak to an agent of the air carrier. Presently, to do so, one may print out reference data on a web page from accessing the Internet site and make a separate telephone call to the air carrier. This activity is both inefficient and time-consuming.
It is desirable to initiate and complete a voice telephone call via the Internet, while data received via the Internet is displayed on a user""s screen regarding the desired information, product or service, thus saving the user time and the inefficiency of having to disconnect from the Internet and reconnect via the public switched telecommunications network. The Internet product, service or information service provider may also gain from such availability by being able to efficiently and quickly serve a web surfer""s needs. Thus, the service provider may generate increased revenue from the connection.
One solution to the problem of providing Internet or intranet and telecommunications voice telephony linkage between a customer and a merchant facility involves the use of a xe2x80x9ccall mexe2x80x9d icon according to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/736,150, filed Oct. 24, 1996, of Foladare et al., entitled xe2x80x9cSystem and Method for Establishing Internet Communications Linksxe2x80x9d (the ""150 application). When a web surfer is surfing the World Wide Web, the web surfer may come across a Web Page with a xe2x80x9ccall mexe2x80x9d icon suggesting that a live service representative of a merchant call the web surfer. Typically, the merchant""s facility comprises a server linked to a private branch exchange (PBX) such that the server may signal the PBX to call the customer as soon as a service representative is free and thus establish a voice telephony link between a next available service representative and a customer. Such a signaling link between a server and a PBX and accompanying software changes, as necessary, must be established at each merchant customer premises facility. The PBX may not be able to accommodate the changes and so require reengineering. Such a customer premises based solution to the initiation of a voice telephony call may not afford advantages that another alternative solution, such as a public telecommunications network-based solution, may provide.
According to the principles of the present invention, the difficulties in placing a telecommunications call via the Internet from customer premises equipment is overcome by providing a voice/data network gateway, for example, via a known network adjunct platform (NAP) of the public switched telecommunications network (PSTN), the voice/data network gateway for permitting the initiation and completion of telecommunications calls. The voice/data network gateway is coupled with the Internet xe2x80x9cweb applicationxe2x80x9d web server (for example, that of an air carrier) via a telecommunications data link for transmitting a message for triggering the NAP to establish the call. In this manner, functionality is shared among host servers and customers alike, and no modifications to customer premises equipment are required. A network-based solution may be implemented independent of the choices made by a customer for customer premises equipment. Furthermore, a network-based solution provides for higher call volume, greater security, permits service enhancements, integration with other network features and extensibility to new and different combinations of service offerings and packages. Also, a network-based solution offers higher reliability and centralized operations, administration, maintenance and provisioning.
Web application as used herein refers to a desired destination for any application of the present invention for electronic commerce or other application on the web including but not limited to the offering of information, products, services and data files over the Internet from the desired destination. By clicking on a call request icon, appropriate information is forwarded via, for example, a telecommunications data link to the messaging interface to complete the call including caller telephone number, application telephone number and any call charge information.
The user or the application may presubscribe to the present service with a local or toll telecommunications service provider by providing required billing or call charge data to the service provider. The voice/data network gateway, having been thus triggered, immediately sets up a telecommunication link between the calling party and a called party, such as the application agent""s telephone number, via known in band and out-of-band signaling links, for example, via ISDN interfaces through the public switched telephone network to serving central offices. In this manner, an application agent associated with the Internet application web server may address any concerns or requests for changes and the like voiced by the user. The user need not dial the agent and the agent need not dial the user.
The network adjunct platform communicates with an Internet web server via a data communications protocol, for example, an implementation of the known TCP/IP protocol suite or, in one embodiment, UDP, a transport protocol. Periodically during the set-up of a call, the gateway communicates with the web server (client). The voice/data network gateway becomes a server with multiple potential clients (although there may be many such servers such as the present gateway established in a public switched telephone network). The process may comprise the application client web server""s initiating request messages of the voice/data network gateway and the latter providing response messages. For example, the voice/data network gateway may translate and provide received call status information via the data communications protocol interface to the Internet application web server as it receives such information from the voice telephony network. As will be explained herein, the process may involve the steps of receiving a message from the web server at the voice/data network gateway generated by a so-called xe2x80x9cfunction callxe2x80x9d, the function call identifying a particular function and requesting a response. Then the following step involves transmitting a status response to the web server indicative of status relative to the requested function. Also, the step of receiving call information may further involve the step of receiving a callback from the web server indicating further data relative to the function and the status response. In this manner, any number of functions may be performed including, but not limited to, initialization and termination functions, session management functions, call management functions, announcement functions, conferencing functions, dual tone multi-frequency (DTMF) signaling monitor and collect functions, event notification functions and socket event functions as will be further described herein. Briefly, these functions include creating or tearing down calls or sessions, establishing or tearing down conference bridges, making announcements/prompts and receiving addressing instructions (for example, collecting telephone numbers or other digital data).
In accordance with the present invention, the web application may have a toll-free number (for example, 1-8YY number) or another national or international number. Moreover, once a call between a web surfer (user) and an application is established, other parties may be bridged on to the call through a conference bridge upon request of either party.